


Adrien Knows the Drill

by sagansjagger



Series: She was Certainly the Spark for All I've Done [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bad Parent Emilie Agreste, Bad Parenting, Dentistry, Dentists, Illnesses, Light Angst, Other, Teeth, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagansjagger/pseuds/sagansjagger
Summary: Twelve-year-old Adrien Agreste hates dental cleanings.But ever since Adrien started modeling five months ago, his mother, Emilie Agreste, has insisted on taking him to the dentist once a month to get his teeth cleaned.But Adrien doesn't want to disappoint his maman, so he grins and bears it.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Emilie Agreste, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Original Female Character(s)
Series: She was Certainly the Spark for All I've Done [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710568
Comments: 37
Kudos: 77





	Adrien Knows the Drill

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the [She was Certainly the Spark for All I've Done](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710568) series. 
> 
> Takes place between [To Any Lengths](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509401) and [Welcome to the Scene of the Crash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23563156). 
> 
> (I will populate the Bad Parent Emilie Agreste tag if it kills me.)

Twelve-year-old Adrien was woken up by his mother poking him in the nose.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Emilie Agreste said cheerily, her pale face looming in his vision as he opened his bleary eyes. "It's time for your monthly dental cleaning!”

Adrien bit back a groan. He hated dental cleanings. Hated them with a passion. Ever since he’d started modeling five months ago, his mother had made him attend dentist appointments once a month to get his teeth poked and prodded and x-rayed.

But Adrien didn’t want to disappoint his maman, so he grinned and bore it.

Still lying on his side and facing her bright eyes, he forced a smile to his lips. “Okay, Maman,” he said, stretching his back and shoulders. “It’s good to see you this morning.”

Maman didn’t usually wake him up. She usually left that task to Nathalie. In a way, he liked having doctor’s appointments; Emilie insisted on attending them, so he got to spend part of the day with her rather than with his father’s assistant.

“It’s good to see you, too, pet,” Emilie said, ruffling his hair. “Now, come on, get up. We don’t have all da--”

Emilie was cut off by a hacking cough, one that curled her shoulders and rattled her chest. Adrien sat up immediately, placing a shaking hand on her shoulder, alarm firing synapses in his brain. “Maman?”

She sank to her knees beside his bed, the coughing tearing its way out of her throat and strangling her breaths. Adrien rubbed her back. He bit his lip, which she’d told him not to do because it was a disgusting habit not befitting the model she wanted him to be. To avoid her glare, he immediately loosened his flesh from the grip of his teeth.

Finally, the coughing subsided. Adrien let the breath he didn’t know he was holding out, feeling light-headed from a lack of oxygen. “Maman?” he tried again, knowing she wouldn’t be able to speak to him for a few minutes but wanting her to remember that he was there.

She offered him a sad, soft smile and patted his cheek. Her voice came out as a croak. “I’m okay, cabbage. Let’s get you dressed.”

Adrien kicked off his covers and stood, helping his mother to her feet. He brushed his teeth twice and changed his clothes in the bathroom, and as usual, Emilie complimented the way his tailored outfit clung to his body. “You’re so handsome,” she squealed, pinching his cheeks. “You’ll have so many fans! Especially if you give the camera a smouldering look, like I taught you.”

“Yes, Maman,” Adrien said, beaming at her. His cheeks hurt from her tight grip on them between her index finger and her thumb, but he didn’t mind. It was just her being affectionate.

Adrien offered her his arm, like he knew she liked. She took it gleefully, and led him to the sedan outside, unsurprisingly.

“You’re skipping breakfast today,” Emilie informed Adrien, as she always did on dental cleaning days. “I don’t want your teeth to be dirty when they’re examined. And breakfast doesn’t fit with your diet.”

Adrien was still lightheaded. He leaned on the sedan for a moment, trying not to hit the driveway with his face, until Emilie cleared her throat. He opened the door for her and she slipped inside the car. “Do I get water today, Maman?”

“No.” Her refusal wasn’t surprising to him either. “You have a photoshoot today, and I want you in top condition.”

“Yes, Maman.”

***

Adrien did not know this dental hygienist. He tamped down his momentary panic. Without knowing who the hygienist was, without her being his regular one, he didn’t know how the cleaning would go. She could choke him. She could be rough. She could be awful.

The panic rose in his chest like a tide, threatening to topple him, until the hygienist smiled. “Hi, Adrien,” she said, her eyes crinkling around the corners. “I’ll be your hygienist today.”

Adrien gulped. He swayed on his feet until Emilie’s hand curled around his shoulder, holding him upright. Taking comfort from his mother, he smiled. “Okay.”

The hygienist started walking down the brightly-lit hallway festooned with cartoon-dinosaur wallpaper. Adrien and Emilie followed, but then the dental assistant glanced over her shoulder. “How are you feeling today, Adrien?”

“I’m super dizzy,” Adrien said, shrugging the shoulder his mother still held.

The hygienist raised her brows at him. “Would you like a bottle of water?”

“No,” Emilie said, shaking her head tightly. “He has a photoshoot today, so he won’t be drinking anything.”

The hygienist had reached the room with the dreaded reclining chair, but she stopped as soon as the words left Emilie’s mouth. “What?” the dental assistant said, turning to address his maman. “Madame Agreste, I must insist that he be allowed to drink something. He’s dizzy.”

Emilie released Adrien and stepped into the hygienist’s space. “Absolutely not.”

Adrien’s heart sank. If it were up to him, he’d take the water. He hated water; the taste was too plain. But he was very, very dizzy. He counted himself lucky that he’d be lying down for the dental cleaning.

But unlike his previous hygienist would, this woman didn’t back down. “I insist. The water will help with the cleaning. Without water, he won’t produce enough saliva and the cleaning won’t go as smoothly.”

Adrien didn’t know whether that was the truth or not, but he didn’t question it. He peeked at his mother, wondering if she’d cave or throw a fit.

Emilie glared at the woman. His mother’s fists were tightly balled. She spoke through gritted teeth. Her hard gaze flicked to him and back to the dental assistant again. “Fine.”

Adrien marveled at the hygienist. He knew better than to thank her; that would get him into trouble, and Adrien never wanted to be in trouble, especially with his maman.

The hygienist smiled again. “Feel free to sit down, Adrien, and I’ll get you a bottle of water.”

Too stunned at her kindness to speak, Adrien slid into the chair. Emilie stalked over to the parents’ seat nearby and pulled her phone out of her thousand-euro Gucchi handbag. She started tapping away furiously and left Adrien in his own little world.

Because she’d pulled out her phone, Adrien was given implicit permission to do the same. He slipped his hand into his pocket and closed his fingers around his phone, taking it out slowly just in case Emilie wanted to forbid him to grab it.

Thankfully, she didn’t.

Adrien immediately texted Chloe, his only friend.

 **Me:** Hey, Chlo, I’m at the dentist.

He glanced at his mother, who was now scrolling through her screen. His phone vibrated, and he checked his texts.

 **Chlo Glow:** again?  
**Me:** Yep.

The hygienist returned just as Adrien was typing out a pun that Chloe would be sure to hate. The woman presented him with a plastic mini-bottle of water and a smile. “Thank you,” he said, taking her offerings. Laying his phone in his lap, he cracked open the bottle, mindful of a glare from Emilie, and sucked down the water in one gulp. “Oh, man.”

Leaning back, he was still dizzy, but the water helped. A little.

“You’re very welcome, Adrien.” The hygienist took the empty bottle from him and set it aside on the counter. She offered him a pair of sunglasses, which he put on. “Now, you’re due for x-rays. I’m sorry about that, but it’ll be quick and painless, all right?”

“Okay,” Adrien said, stuffing his urge to frown. He had to be strong and good, for his mother. She was _sick_ , and Adrien didn’t know why, and he didn’t want to upset her just in case it brought on another spate of coughing.

He smiled instead.

The hygienist donned gloves. She swung a metal arm around with an x-ray machine on the end to his face. She laid a heavy apron over his body and held up the thing he hated most: the huge plastic rectangle he’d have to bite down upon to get a good picture.

The dental assistant offered him an apologetic smile as he opened his mouth. She stuck the rectangle into his cheek, causing saliva to pool into the back of his throat and gag him. She took it out. “Breathe through your nose, please.”

“I’ll try,” he said, and opened his mouth to be tortured again. She gently laid the rectangle on his tongue and then slid it into position. Adrien sucked oxygen through his nose. He’d always had a bad gag reflex, but lately he’d been teaching himself how to tamp that down. He’d even read articles on how to ‘desensitize’ himself.

For his mother. She didn’t like it when he gagged.

He peered at her over the x-ray equipment. She didn’t appear to be interested in what they were doing, still on her phone, so he closed his eyes.

“You’re doing great, Adrien!” the hygienist said, taking several pictures of his mouth. She changed the position of the rectangle several times, tilting his chin this way and that. To his utter shame, he gagged a couple of those times.

“All right, we’re done!” the dental assistant announced cheerfully. “You did beautifully; we don’t need to retake any of those pictures.”

A true smile bloomed on Adrien’s lips. “Great, I’m glad to hear that.”

Emilie snorted. "Of course. I wouldn't expect any less from _my_ son."

Adrien beamed at his mother, wrapping himself up in her praise like a warm blanket.

The hygienist removed the lead apron and set it aside in a cabinet. “Okay, we’re ready!” she said, picking up her ultrasonic sprayer and the tool Adrien had termed the sucker-thingy in his head. “I use a second suction tool in my cleanings, is that alright? It’s very loud. Is that okay?”

Adrien nodded. “Sure.” He could handle a little loudness and another tool in his mouth. He was twelve. A pre-teen. Practically a teenager. Practically an adult.

The hygienist picked up two sucker-thingies: one smaller one with a hook shape, and a bigger one with a straight nozzle. She placed the smaller one in his cheek and lifted her ultrasonic cleaner in her free hand.

He could _not_ handle a little loudness and another tool in his mouth. The sucker-thingies roared in his ears, and the way she used them was to dry his mouth out and suck up the inside of his cheek, which hurt. The ultrasonic cleaner was also incredibly uncomfortable; the blast of soundwaves vibrated his molars and tweaked his gums.

After twenty minutes of torture, the hygienist pronounced him done with the ultrasonic cleaner and sucker-thingies. For now. “Would you like me to rinse your mouth with some water?”

“Please,” Adrien said, his mouth already aching. She set her tools down and picked up a thin, metal sprayer, with which she rinsed his gums. Then she used the small sucker-thingy to draw out all the water again.

“You can have a break while I prep my scraper,” the hygienist said, and Adrien smiled.

He glanced at his mother, who looked bored and inattentive, and picked up his phone again.

 **Me:** My mother wants the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth.  
**Chlo Glow:** you’re terrible  
**Chlo Glow:** how dare you pun at me

Chloe’s reaction--sent immediately, as if she’d been waiting for him--made him giggle obscenely.

The hygienist smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Can I get you some water?”

Adrien glanced at his mother, who seemed to be ignoring him. “Please,” he said, still laughing. “I’d love that, thank you.”

 **Me:** Now I'm cracking up and the hygeinest (sp) is like, "can I get you some water???”  
****Chlo Glow:**** LMBO  
****Chlo Glow:**** sorry **  
****Me:** You are not. XD **  
**Chlo Glow:**** not even a little :D

The hygienist returned with another bottle of water, which he sucked down immediately. He put his phone away but kept the bottle. “Do you mind if I keep the bottle? Having something in my hands helps me get through the scraping.”

“Sure, Adrien,” the hygienist said. Adrien was glad she didn’t call him honey or sweetheart, like his makeup artists tended to.

He leaned back and opened his mouth for the scraper.

Adrien hated the scraper. He hated the taste of the metal hook. He hated the way the feel of the tool scraping plaque off his teeth. But most of all, he hated the way the scraper sounded: a crunching, grinding, rasping noise that reached into his very bones and pulled on him.

Curling his toes and waggling his feet, Adrien petted the water bottle rhythmically. Having something to concentrate on while she maneuvered the sucker-thingy around his mouth and dug the metal hook into his teeth helped.

But the noise still bothered him.

It sounded like she was dragging her metal tool through a pile of gravel, and he was terrified that he was going to swallow small flakes of his teeth. Surely she was scraping chunks off and they were falling onto his tongue and going down his throat and they’d slice his flesh open and he was going to choke--

“Are you okay, Adrien?” the hygienist said, her eyes lined with concern.

He forced his words out. “Yes. What’s your name?” Speaking was easier now that she’d taken the scraper out of his mouth. Maybe if he talked with her, she wouldn’t use the tool on his teeth anymore?

“Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t introduce myself!” she said, placing a gloved hand over her heart. “My name is Leigh.”

“Hello, Leigh.” Now that he had a name to put to the woman who had been so kind to him, he felt warmth fill his belly. “Do you still have to use the scraper?”

She gave him another apologetic smile. “I’m almost done.”

She was not almost done. She had to go over the backs of his bottom teeth, which took a long time. Just when Adrien was unable to stand it anymore, she took her tools out of his mouth again.

“I’m sorry, I tend to drool a lot,” Adrien said, feeling saliva pooling behind his gums and in his cheeks.

“No, drool is great at the dentist’s office,” Leigh said, grinning down at him. “We love people who have tons of saliva. And people who both drool and love water as much as you do are a win-win!”

A win-win. Adrien was pleased that Leigh was happy with him. He wanted to drink more water and drool more now, so that she’d be happier. Maybe he could--

“Adrien,” his mother snapped. “Let the technician do her job.”

“Yes, mother,” Adrien said, tucking his head against his chest and making himself smaller.

“He’s not bothering me, Madame. Agreste,” Leigh said, a frown twisting her lips.

Desperate to defuse the situation, Adrien spoke up. “Madame Leigh, why is drool a good thing to have at the dentist’s office?”

Leigh chuckled. “Saliva has special enzymes that break down bacteria and protect your teeth. Good question!”

Adrien didn’t know what an enzyme was, but he was pleased that she’d liked his question. His chest felt pleasantly warm.

“Adrien,” his mother hissed, her tone a clear warning.

“I apologize, mother,” he whispered.

Leigh laid a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “I need to polish your teeth now. Would you like mint, raspberry, or orange flavor polish?”

“Not the orange,” Emilie growled. “He’s allergic to oranges. You should know that. It’s in his file.”

“You’re allergic to oranges?” Leigh said, her eyes widening as she looked at Adrien.

“Yes,” Adrien said, peeking at her like a turtle coming out of its shell. “I think it’s the pollen of the fruit. I can eat orange-flavored things and drink orange juice just fine, because they’ve been boiled.”

“You can drink orange juice?” Leigh shouted gleefully. “That just makes you special.”

Special. She thought he was special. The praise warmed Adrien from head to toe.

He beamed at her. “Yeah, I can drink orange juice! But I can’t have the polish. It makes my lips swell up and itchy, and my throat close.”

Emilie sniffed. “Nothing life-threatening. But terribly inconvenient for me.”

Leigh smiled down at Adrien. “Mint or raspberry?”

Adrien grinned back. “Raspberry, please!”

Leigh laughed. “You’re so polite, Adrien.”

He giggled to himself until he caught his mother’s glare. Then he shrank again until Leigh returned with the raspberry polish.

He liked the polisher. The circular brush tickled his gums and the raspberry flavoring was delicious. He didn’t even need the empty water bottle. He handed it to Leigh, who set it aside on the counter. The polish had a grainy texture, which was slightly uncomfortable, but he did like when Leigh rinsed his mouth with water.

His mouth felt clean. But also hurt. He winced as Leigh took the sucker-thingy out of his mouth.

“How does your mouth feel, Adrien?” Leigh asked kindly.

Adrien said the first thing that came to mind. “It’s painful.”

Leigh gasped, laying a hand on his chest. “It’s painful? Are you okay?”

“Oh, no!” Adrien said, wind-milling his hands. Leigh withdrew hers. “It’s just… normal painful! It’s not bad painful! But it’s normal pain after being at the dentist, you know?”

Leigh didn’t look convinced. She looked sad. Adrien felt terrible for upsetting her. He wanted to crawl into a hole and weep for a while. “I’m sorry, Adrien.”

“No, no, no, no, no, it’s fine,” Adrien said, and Leigh smiled a little. “Thank you for cleaning my teeth.”

“You’re welcome. The doctor needs to look at them, and then you’re done, okay?” Leigh said, patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll go get her. Be right back!”

Adrien smiled as he watched her round the corner. He glanced apprehensively at his mother, who had her arms folded and her nose turned in the air. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was doing some deep-breathing exercises.

Leigh returned with the dentist. Both women looked over his teeth and counted them, with Leigh filling in the information in the computer. The dentist, a stout woman with short black hair, turned to his mother.

“Madame Agreste, his teeth are perfect. We were waiting until his all milk teeth fell out, the molars, but I don’t think he needs braces at all,” the dentist said. “And he definitely doesn’t need dental cleanings every month.”

“Give him braces,” Emilie demanded, standing up. “He needs them.”

“No, he doesn’t,” the dentist said, frowning. “His teeth are straighter than we could make them.”

Adrien looked to Leigh, wondering if she was going to give her opinion. Leigh glanced at Adrien and shrugged.

Emilie stomped her foot. “How dare you presume to know what’s best for _my_ son?” She pointed a finger in the air. “I can’t believe you! How dare you--” Just as she was getting worked up, she dissolved into a massive coughing fit.

Adrien gasped. He’d never seen his mother cough this badly. She bent double, holding her stomach. Her face twisted painfully, and her eyes looked forced shut. Adrien was alarmed at the trail of spit and blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

“Madame Agreste,” Leigh said gently as Emilie’s coughing subsided. “Are you okay?”

“How dare you treat me this way?” Emilie said, pulling a handkerchief out of her designer handbag. She dabbed at her lips in a ladylike fashion. She let loose a quiet sob, throwing her hand over her eyes. “Can’t you tell I’m _sick_? Give my son braces. It’s all I ask. Honor the request of a dying woman.”

 _My mother is sick,_ Adrien thought, quickly becoming overwhelmed by his horror. _My mother is… dying. Oh, oh, gosh._

Tears filled his eyes as he turned to the dentist. “Please,” he said, placing a hand on his heart. “Please just do as she says.”

The dentist’s shoulders sagged. “All right. We’ll set up an appointment to pull his molars.”

Leigh pursed her lips and said nothing.

Adrien drew a breath through his nose, too numb with an all-encompassing grief to do anything else. He wanted to bawl like a baby, but Agrestes never cried. He was practically an adult now. He had to be strong for his mother.

With a rueful cast to his features, Adrien handed Leigh the sunglasses and stood from the reclining chair. He crossed to his mother and offered her his arm. She took it, and he escorted her to the hallway.

Just as they reached the receptionist, where his mother started setting up his next appointment, Leigh caught up with him. She pressed a mini-water bottle into his hands with a smile. “See you next month, Adrien?”

He smiled weakly at her. “Thank you, madame. Wouldn’t miss it.”

His teeth hurt for the rest of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have monthly server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


End file.
